Kagi
Kagi is a paid, ad-free search engine that combines its own web index (Teclis) with anonymized API calls to Google, Bing, Brave, and other search providers. Founded in 2018 and structured as a Public Benefit Corporation since 2024, it offers user-controlled search customization including domain ranking, lenses, and AI-powered quick answers.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
Kagi is founded by Vladimir Prelovac as a bootstrapped venture with $3M of personal funds, beginning as kagi.ai with a 3-person team. The company is in pure R&D mode with no public product, no customers, and no revenue. Minimal enshittification risk exists at this stage given the founder-funded model and absence of external pressure, though the single-founder control structure carries inherent governance concentration.
Kagi and Orion enter public beta with a Hacker News launch, attracting 2,600 paid customers within three months on zero marketing. The subscription-only, ad-free model is established from day one. An independent security audit rates Kagi 'Highly Secure.' The search engine uses third-party APIs (Google, Bing, Yandex) alongside its own Teclis index, but the proprietary blending of sources introduces minor algorithmic opacity. Founder-centric governance remains the primary structural concern.
Kagi navigates its first pricing controversy, introducing search limits in March 2023 that are walked back by September when unlimited searches return at $10/month. The company raises $670K from 42 community investors in a SAFE round and launches AI features including FastGPT, Universal Summarizer, and Small Web. The CEO initially resists allowing users to disable AI previews, revealing a pattern of founder-driven decisions that will intensify. The team grows to approximately 20 people.
Kagi converts to a Public Benefit Corporation, a meaningful governance safeguard, but simultaneously faces a cluster of founder-governance controversies: the CEO emails a negative reviewer, users criticize spending a third of fundraise money on t-shirts, and the Brave Search partnership draws backlash. OSnews publishes a 'Do Not Use Kagi' article aggregating these concerns. The company belatedly begins collecting sales tax. On the product side, Kagi reaches 20,000 members, launches the AI Assistant for Ultimate subscribers, and releases Kagi Translate with 244 languages.
Kagi's ecosystem expands significantly with Orion 1.0, Kagi News, SlopStop, and Privacy Pass all shipping in 2025-2026. Subscriber count grows from 20,000 to over 65,000, with daily searches approaching 1 million. The Yandex funding controversy intensifies when Kagi removes specific source listings from documentation, pushing D5 higher. Major media outlets (Ars Technica, Boston Globe, Nieman Lab) validate search quality. The company advocates for Google index access remedies following the DOJ antitrust ruling.
Alternatives
Free, privacy-focused search engine with no tracking and no account required. Scored 12 here (Healthy). Easy switch — just change your default search engine. Results come primarily from Bing, so quality differs from Kagi's multi-source approach. No subscription fee makes it the zero-cost privacy option.
Free search engine with its own independent index (not reliant on Google or Bing). Scored 26 (Early Warning). Easy switch — no account needed for basic use. Ad-supported free tier with optional premium plan. Slightly different privacy tradeoffs than Kagi but no subscription required.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (35 events)
Vladimir Prelovac Founds Kagi in Palo Alto
After leaving GoDaddy where he served as VP of Product following the ManageWP acquisition, Vladimir Prelovac founds Kagi (initially kagi.ai) in Palo Alto, California with approximately $3 million of personal funds. The company begins with a team of 3 people focused on AI-powered search.
First Kagi Search Prototype Made Public
Kagi releases its first search prototype using an unusual MUD-like command-line interface with powerful built-in features. The company also launches Donna.gg as its first attempt at a premium search business, which ultimately fails. Team expands to 5 members.
First iOS Browser Prototype with Web Extensions
Kagi achieves a working prototype of an iOS browser capable of running full web extensions, something no browser had attempted before. This prototype would evolve into the Orion browser, with the team beginning development in earnest.
Orion Browser Accepted to iOS App Store
The Orion browser becomes the first iOS browser capable of running full web extensions and is accepted into the iOS App Store on its first submission. Private betas of both Kagi Search and Orion Browser launch during 2020-2021, with the team doubling to 10 people.
Kagi Inc. Formally Incorporated
Kagi Inc. is formally incorporated as a Delaware corporation after nearly four years of bootstrapped development. The company prepares for its public beta launch with a team of approximately 15 people.
Kagi Search and Orion Enter Public Beta
Kagi Search and Orion browser simultaneously enter public beta, launching with a splash on Hacker News. Kagi offers a free tier with limited searches and unlimited paid access at $10/month, entirely ad-free and tracking-free. Within three months, the company has approximately 2,600 paid customers with zero marketing spend.
Independent Security Audit Rates Kagi 'Highly Secure'
Kagi undergoes an extensive independent security audit by Illumant from May to August 2022 and receives the highest possible rating of 'Highly Secure' with no findings of material significance. The audit confirms that even in a breach scenario, attackers would find only application binaries and zero sensitive information.
First Three Months Status Update: 2,600 Paid Customers
Kagi publishes its first status update showing 2,600 paid customers, 70,000 daily queries, and sub-3% churn. Growth is entirely organic through word of mouth, with 30-50 new signups daily and a 20% conversion rate to paid accounts. 77% of users who try Kagi pay within the first week.
Major Pricing Restructure with Search Limits
Kagi implements a significant pricing overhaul effective March 15, 2023. The free plan changes from 50 monthly searches to a one-time 100 free searches. A new $5/month Starter plan with 200 searches launches, and the Professional plan at $10/month includes 700 searches with pay-per-use options. The restructuring reflects Kagi losing money per search at existing prices.
Kagi Launches AI-Powered Search Features
Alongside the pricing restructure, Kagi launches three AI-driven features: Summarize Results, Summarize Page, and Ask Questions about Documents. These features are activated on demand and only incur costs when used, marking Kagi's first integration of generative AI into its search product.
Kagi Introduces Family and Duo Plans
Kagi launches a Family Plan offering two tiers: Duo (up to 2 members) at $14/month and Family (up to 6 members) at $20/month. The plans include kid-friendly search with strict content filters, parental controls, and shared search customizations, expanding Kagi's market beyond individual power users.
Kagi Launches FastGPT AI Answering Engine
Kagi releases FastGPT, a proof-of-concept answering engine that begins outputting answers within 900ms by running a full search engine underneath. FastGPT becomes integrated as the 'Quick Answer' button on search results pages, providing citation-heavy AI responses similar to Bing's Copilot.
Universal Summarizer Launches with Multi-Format Support
Kagi releases the Universal Summarizer, an AI tool capable of summarizing websites, PDFs, YouTube videos, podcasts, and audio files of unlimited length. The tool uses two summarization engines (Agnes for formal, Daphne for informal) and is available as both a web app and API.
Kagi Raises $670K from 42 Community Investors
Kagi successfully raises $670K in a SAFE note investment round, its first external fundraise after five years of bootstrapping. All 42 accredited investors are actual Kagi users, reinforcing the community-centric model. The funds are earmarked for accelerating product initiatives.
Kagi Launches Small Web Initiative
Kagi announces the Small Web initiative to spotlight non-commercial web content from blogs and personal websites. The curated, open-source list of nearly 6,000 genuine websites surfaces recently published content from the 'small web' in Kagi search results, via RSS feed, and through the search API.
Kagi Restores Unlimited Searches at $10/Month
After the March 2023 pricing restructure introduced search limits, Kagi announces that unlimited search is now included in the $10/month Professional plan. New search sources proving more cost-efficient and improved infrastructure efficiency enable the change. The Starter plan is updated to 300 searches at $5/month, and an annual billing option with 10% discount is added.
Kagi Adds Brave Search as Result Source
Kagi integrates Brave Search API as an additional source of search results at no extra charge, alongside existing sources including Google, Bing, and Yandex. The announcement is part of a broader update that also includes improved image search and a new Safari extension.
Kagi Becomes Delaware Public Benefit Corporation
Kagi converts to a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, legally requiring the company to balance shareholder interests with community benefit. The PBC structure commits Kagi to its mission of humanizing the web, providing a governance safeguard against future extraction pressure.
Community Backlash Over Brave Search Partnership
Users push back against Kagi's use of Brave Search API, citing Brave CEO Brendan Eich's controversial views and Brave's crypto integration. CEO Prelovac responds that Kagi is 'not yet in a position to take moral stands' and evaluates APIs 'only on merit, not founder political views,' stating that 'politics finding its way into tech is one of the reasons we do not have innovation any more.' Some users cancel subscriptions in protest.
Kagi Celebrates 20,000 Paid Members
Kagi reaches 20,000 paying members including over 1,500 families worldwide. To celebrate, the company sends free t-shirts to all 20,000 members, later drawing criticism for spending approximately one-third of its $670K fundraise on a merchandise operation including setting up a t-shirt printing company in Germany.
CEO Emails Blogger Who Wrote Negative Review
After blogger Lori publishes a negative review on d-shoot.net titled 'Why I Lost Faith in Kagi,' CEO Vladimir Prelovac emails them requesting a call to discuss 'misunderstandings.' When Lori declines and asks Prelovac to stop emailing, he sends a lengthy rebuttal essay. Other users report similar CEO contact after submitting cancellation feedback. The incident gains attention via Hacker News.
Kagi Begins Collecting Sales Tax After Two-Year Delay
Kagi rolls out sales tax and VAT collection for new users, effective April 11, 2024 for new users and the first renewal on or after April 21 for existing users. The company partners with Reach as Merchant of Record. Critics note that Kagi had not collected sales tax for its first two years of paid operation, characterizing it as an oversight that effectively resulted in artificially low prices.
OSnews Publishes 'Do Not Use Kagi' Criticism
OSnews publishes an article aggregating multiple criticisms of Kagi: spending a third of fundraise money on t-shirts, failing to collect sales tax for two years, the CEO's email harassment of a negative reviewer, and questions about AI spending priorities. The article sparks widespread discussion about founder governance at small companies.
Kagi Launches AI Assistant with Premium Models
Kagi officially launches the Kagi Assistant, an AI-powered tool that leverages Kagi Search for accurate, up-to-date information while filtering spam. The assistant uses premium models including GPT-4 and Claude 3.5, offers customizable instructions and model choices, and is initially available only to Ultimate plan subscribers at $25/month.
Kagi Translate Launches with 244 Languages
Kagi releases Kagi Translate, a free AI-powered translation service supporting 244 languages with zero tracking. The tool includes text, website, and document translation, proofreading, dictionary, and voice dictation features. Translation history is stored locally by default and never leaves the user's device.
Yandex Funding Controversy Erupts on Hacker News
A Hacker News post titled 'PSA: The Kagi search engine directly funds Yandex — and refuses to stop' gains widespread attention. CEO Prelovac confirms that approximately 2% of Kagi's total costs in 2024 flow to Yandex and states there is no intent to change this, arguing that removing any single source would degrade search quality. Critics note DuckDuckGo had already halted its Yandex partnership.
Kagi Stops Listing Specific Search Engine Sources
Kagi updates its search sources documentation to remove specific named search engines, now stating only 'all major search providers' instead of listing Google, Brave, Mojeek, and Yandex individually. Users criticize the change as making Kagi more opaque rather than transparent about where results come from, particularly given the concurrent Yandex controversy.
Kagi Launches Privacy Pass and Tor Onion Service
Kagi introduces Privacy Pass authentication using IETF-standardized RFCs, allowing users to prove subscription access via cryptographic tokens without revealing identity. Searches cannot be linked to accounts or to each other. Simultaneously, Kagi launches a Tor onion service for direct network access. Both features are available to Professional, Ultimate, Family, and Team plans.
Kagi Assistant Expanded to All Subscription Plans
Kagi makes its AI Assistant available to all paid subscribers at no additional cost, expanding from its previous exclusivity to Ultimate plan subscribers. A fair-use policy is implemented where users can consume AI tokens up to the monetary value of their plan (e.g., $25/month plan allows $25 worth of token usage).
Kagi Publishes Three-Year Status Update
Kagi publishes a comprehensive three-year status update revealing the company has grown to 45 employees across 20+ countries, with a product ecosystem spanning search, browser, translation, news, and early-stage email. The company reports being bootstrapped with $3M founder investment plus $2.5M from 93 community angel investors over two rounds.
Kagi Reaches 50,000 Members, Launches Free Portal
Kagi celebrates reaching 50,000 paying members by launching a free search portal offering 50 searches without signup and 100 more with a free account. The company also announces 'Kagi for Libraries,' providing free access to public library patrons worldwide for an initial 12 months, and releases an early preview of Kagi Mail to distinguished members.
Kagi News Launches as Free AI-Curated News Service
Kagi launches Kagi News, a free AI-curated news service that sifts through thousands of RSS feeds from community-curated publications. Instead of an endless feed, it delivers one comprehensive press review daily at 12:00 UTC, designed to be consumed in five minutes. The service is free, requires no account, and does not track reading habits.
SlopStop AI Slop Detection Launches
Kagi introduces SlopStop, a community-driven system for flagging and downranking AI-generated spam content in search results. Users can flag suspected AI slop, and if a domain is found to be more than 80% AI-generated, it is downranked. Over 3,000 reports are submitted within the first week. Kagi aims to build the largest dataset of AI slop domains on the web.
Orion 1.0 Browser Released After Six Years
After six years of development, Kagi releases Orion 1.0 for macOS, exiting beta as a zero-telemetry WebKit-based browser. The browser supports approximately 70% of Chrome and Firefox web extensions through manually ported APIs. Orion is free to use, with an optional $5/month Plus subscription for floating windows and early features. Linux development is in progress.
Kagi Advocates for Google Search Index Access
Kagi publishes 'Waiting for Dawn in Search,' advocating for Google to provide search index access on FRAND terms following the September 2025 DOJ antitrust remedies. The company states there is no legitimate, paid path to comprehensive Google or Bing results and argues that the DOJ's index syndication requirements must be fully implemented to enable competition.